In this article, he quoted marijuana activist Norma Sapp when she said:

“If Oklahoma’s cannabis policies were changed, we could save this state over $200 million just from the Department of Corrections. And millions more in police and court expenses.”

Polls across the nation are showing consistently that Americans think marijuana should be legal. And not just for medical use. The country is starting to realize that we are losing the Drug War, which was started over 40 years ago by President Nixon.

Oklahoma legislators need to understand that this is not just an issue of individual liberty. It is not just a case of a violation of this liberty in not allowing Oklahomans control over our own bodies. This is clearly an economic issue. The numbers are staggering in how many inmates in our state prisons are there for non-violent, drug-related crimes. Imagine how much room we could free up in those prisons if the state made pot legal, or at the very least, decriminalized it. Imagine the time we could save our state police departments and allow them more time to go out and combat REAL crime.

Colorado, who legalized marijuana for recreational use earlier this year, recently passed a measure to impose excise and sales taxes on the purchase of marijuana. Imagine the amount of tax revenue Oklahoma could generate by legalizing and taxing pot.

More and more states and municipalities are legalizing it. It is time for Oklahoma to step up the plate and get with the times.